The Reverend Ebenezer Ayer, Head Pastor of Priesthood Worship Centre, Assemblies of God, on Tuesday cautioned the youth against immoral acts during festive occasions.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency at Tema on the assessment of the Valentine’s Day celebration, Rev. Ayer noted, with sadness, that most festive occasions were associated with immoral acts.

He said some media houses and social media platforms showed content and ads that aroused the sexual desires of the youth, which were used for profit making to the detriment of morality.
“We are gradually losing the sense of festive seasons,” he said.

Rev. Ayer said Valentine’s Day was in remembrance of a priest who held on to his faith till his execution, but that had been misconstrued.

He said it was unfortunate that the Day had been commercialised and materialised such that the God factor was lost.

“This is a worry because Saint Valentine’s Day celebration should be a day to express the love of God to others,” he said.

Rev. Ayer advised the youth to stop equating holy and sacred events with material connotations and said immorality had never been helpful to any society.

He said although mankind was an emotional creature, there was the need to exercise self-control over material things in order to stay focused and cautioned the youth against searching for scriptures to back immoral activities.

“We are not in normal times so every festive occasion should be used as a moment for reflection…We must all be conscious of COVID-19 and observe all the protocols,” he said.

He called on religious bodies to organise Christ Centred programmes during festive seasons to encourage the youth to participate in a refined way.